Rotator Cuff Surgery

Has anyone had this in the last year and how was your recovery ( from a riding/racing perspective) and for a general quality of life?

These are the findings from my MRI:

"full-thickness retracted rotator cuff tears involving the supraspinatus, infraspinatus and subscapularis rotator cuff components.........associated medial dislocation of the bicipital tendon............retracted gaps of 4cm at the supra and infra tendons and 3cm at the subscapularis tendon. Minimal atrophy at the sub and infra muscle bellies........no abnormalities of superior labrum or bicipital anchor"

At the end the report says "the exam is otherwise unremarkable"..........thank God for that!

 

Sorry to the "use the search" bitches........
found these:
http://forums.13x.com/search.php?searchid=2581215

 

All the stuff in the search was years old, so back to my original question, thanks in advance.

 

I had mine done in May of this year (arthroscopic surgery). Of course, there were a few other things torn besides the rotator cuff but recovery time took about a GOOD 2 months. First week was very painful. I say painful because it's a pain I never felt before--the slightest arm/shoulder movement shot a weird jolting pain throughout my body that instantaneously caused my body to go limb. It's kinda like being electrocuted. Sorry but that's the best I can describe it. It was the weirdest feeling.

Probably sure you won't experience the same pain and be a puss like me but just FYI. LOL!

Full range of motion took 5 months to recover but that's because my Dr. restricted the use of my arm the first 3 months which my therapist was against. And I would have to agree. I would say start moving your arm around as much as possible after the first month.

 

Hey man,

Feel free to email me or call me to talk about rotator cuff surgery.

I had mine done 6 and half months ago.

Here is a youtube video of my surgery:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxJO8GaoZrk

I'd be happy to answer any questions.

 

Did you guys tear yours like mine is, I mean the 3 different areas?

 

if you can have the surgery done with a scope the recovery is quick and you should be back to normal in 6 weeks. Mine was too bad to do with a scope and I had to be cut open. MIne was from trauma (crashing) and I had major stability issues. Post surgery...everything is great. The arm I had the surgery on is very stable and strong. I am very glad I had it done. I was too the point that I was dislocating about 2 times per week.

 

From what I understand I have complete tears in the orange, pink and blue tendons, the surgeon is doing it using arthroscopy.

 

ouch. I had mine done with the scope and I was down for a while. 1 month in a sling with no movement then 3 months of PT. After that I could pretty much do anything. I waited about 8 months before I rode on the track

 

I had a partially torn supraspinatus (50% torn). I had surgery arthoscopically and it has been 6 and a half months and I still do not have 100 percent strength back. Anyone who tells you that you will be to normal in a couple months doesn't know what they are talking about. I am 25 and am super healthy but it just takes time. My doc estimated 6-12 months.

What happens is that you need to protect the tendons so that they can heal back to the bone which occurs at a rate of 12% per month. After a few months you can start building strength and increasing mobility but you have to wait until you are not jeopardizing the repair and risk a re-tear.

After that you will be stiff as hell and the joint will need to be worked on even though the tendon will be safe. It'll start catching at the end of each range and will hurt like a motherf*uker when you first start doing rehab because the joint thinks that you are at the end of the range because it hasn't gone that far in months.

Another thing you have to watch for is tendinitis during the strength build up.

 

It really makes you appreciate being physically fit for sure. I rode the exercise bike for 2 and half months to keep my sanity but man it feels good to surf, rockclimb and ride again.

 

That was me, except I was back on the track in ~16 weeks.

<edit> Surgery was the week after the Feb Tally race. I was basically worthless before the surgery, I could hardly lift anything with my right arm, couldn't raise it above shoulder high, lot of pain, etc.. Now it's pretty good. It will get a little sore if I'm really active and lifting for a while, but ice and rest for a couple of days and it's good to go.

 

My opinion would be to get a couple of medical opinions on the procedure and the point at which to start PT. My father in his early fifties had his done (too bad for the scope) and was out of work for 6-8 weeks. He was also sent to PT too early and it caused the tendons to re-tear! When he went back for the second procedure he was told if he didn't take his time with going back to PT and work that another re-tear might be unrepairable!

The second opinions come into play because he followed doctors orders regarding his timeline for pt and work.

 

From what you listed, it sounds like pretty extensive damage. I feel your pain. I had my surgery the Wed before thanksgiving last year (08). The supraspinatis had a "grave" tear (90%) also I had a moderate slap tear, as well as removal of bone spurs and joint decompression.
The rotator cuff repair had to be done through a 1" inscision, the rest was done arthroscopically.

The first couple of weeks were a bitch; make sure you have a recliner, pain killers and Ibuprophen. Pain killers alone did not work for me...
I was in Physical therapy for 6 months to regain full use - full range of motion and functional strength. Physical therapy was very tough, but you definitely need to keep with it until you regain your full range.

General life functions - get most back in the first couple of months.
Riding - I would consult with your physician. You might be strong enough to use your arm within 6 months, but I am not sure I would want to risk taking a spill on a freshly repaired shoulder. Kind of like wrecking a brand new bike - It would suck really bad...

Good luck getting back to health

 

It sucks, but it's worth doing. I'm at about 97% of what I was originally. Don't try and cheat the recovery time. And definitely don't cheat the PT - that'll make or break it for you.

My two cents.

 

What he said. Now's a good time to do it too - offseason.

 

I had mine done about 20 some years ago! So, OK, not 'current', but it sounds like you still have to go through what I went through.
The worst part was moving the shoulder again after it had been immobilised for the first two weeks. That was a bear, just getting it down a few degrees from the 90 it was at in the airplane splint.
Anyway, yes, rehab took a long time, a lot of electro stim (which the P/T nurses let me do myself!) really helped early on, then it was full range of motion strengthening and stretching.
9 months and I was back to swimming training for tris, and it's been good ever since, and the amount of abuse I've given it since recovery is not inconsiderable
The doc did tell me that he would not do the op unless I committed to him I'd do the rehab. He didn't want to waste his time.
Cheers
Barry

 

Thanks for the input guys.

 

I just had mine done, I'll be at the two week mark tomorrow. Mine was a complete tear of the supr. and a partial tear of another one, all trauma induced from a race accident in Sept. Arthroscopic repair.

My recovery has been much better then some of the others mentioned here - I was down to using plain ibuprofen for pain after 5-6 days, and nothing at all after 8-9 days.

As far as being back to a complete true 100% - I'm advised that is likely 8-12 months out. If your cuff damage is due to wear and tear I don't think it'll ever be as good as new. If it's all trauma caused then your odds are much better.

Get yourself setup with a reclining chair or couch with a table on your good arm side for laptop and TV remotes.

 

my left shoulder has been bothering me lately. And after having the right one done I can say there is no way I am going through that again!!